Dustin Poirier Says Eddie Alvarez Used Illegal Strike on “Purpose”

Although it’s been over six months since Dustin Poirier’s bout with Eddie Alvarez ended in unfulfilling fashion, clearly there’s still some ill will about the fight’s conclusion.

The lightweight contenders fought at UFC 211 in May, and for several moments, it looked like Poirier was en route to a win, after he rocked Alvarez. The decorated fighter battled back, however, and late in round two, he cracked Poirier with a knee while he was down. The latter was unable to continue, and the fight was ultimately declared a no-contest.

Well, since then, Alvarez has gone on to coach TUF, and most recently, he took out Justin Gaethje at UFC 218, in one of the year’s most memorable fights. Poirier appeared on the latest “MMA Hour” this week, and the rugged vet campaigned for a rematch with Alvarez. While discussing their fight’s conclusion, however, Poirier said this (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“I was winning the fight, some foul stuff happened, we should have ran it back. He shouldn’t have been rewarded with a TV show and another big fight, but this isn’t the fair business it’s the fight business so you just keep moving…”

“He’s talking sh*t,” said Poirier, while referring to recent comments from Alvarez, who claimed he quit in their bout. “When I stood up for him in the heat of the moment I thought that maybe (the illegal knees) were accidents and now I’ve gone back and watched the fight as fan like you said.”

“Now I think it was in purpose. It was a veteran move, he knew he was out of that fight and he saw an opportunity to land a strike on a guy and did it. I think he knew exactly what he was doing.”

Obviously Alvarez and his supporters would deny this, but one thing is clear, there’s definitely a lot to go on, in terms of booking the rematch. Not only are both men top ten ranked lightweights, the backstory here, would certainly drive interest in the fight.

But, since Alvarez’s jaw dropping win over Gaethje, he’s said that he’s hoping to book a “mega-fight”. So, one would think, Alvarez wouldn’t consider a rematch with Poirier as that. Of course, die hard fans would be all over a second scrap and then some. But, it likely isn’t the mainstream draw that Alvarez is hoping for.